'Seems to me,' said the contemptuous man, 'he'd better look after
his own people first. Charity begins at 'ome, eh, mates?'
'What do you mean by that?' inquired a voice.
'Why, isn't his brother--what's his name? Bill--Jack--'
''Arry,' corrected Daniel.
'To be sure, 'Arry; I don't know him myself, but I 'eard talk of
him. It's him as is doin' his three months' 'ard labour.'
'That ain't no fault o' Dick Mutimer's,' asserted the apologist. 'He
always was a bad 'un, that 'Arry. Why, you can say so much, Dan? No,
no, I don't 'old with a man's bein' cried down cause he's got a
brother as disgraces himself. It was Dick as got him his place, an'
a good place it was. It wasn't Dick as put him up to thievin', I
suppose?'
'No, no, that's right enough,' said Dabbs. 'Let a man be judged by
his own sayin's and doin's. There's queer stories about Dick Mutimer
himself, but--was it Scotch or Irish, Mike?'
Mike had planted his glass on the counter in a manner suggesting
replenishment.
'Now that's what I call a cruel question!' cried Mike humorously.
'The man as doesn't stick to his country, I don't think much of
him.'
The humour was not remarkable, but it caused a roar of laughter to
go up.
'Now what I want to know,' exclaimed one, returning to the main
subject, 'is where Mutimer gets his money to live on.
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